Share the post "Album review : ALTERIUM – Of War And Flames"
AFM Records [Release date : 08.03.24]
Alterium is a new Italian Symphonic Metal quintet led by Nicoletta Rosellini (ex. Kalidia), a talented artist who juggles several media related careers. She also fronts Goth Metal band, Walk In The Darkness.
Of War And Flames is the band’s debut album.
This is a tight, tight outfit. Even when aiming for that epic sweep, taking the music from zero to heroic heights in the course of four minutes – as with ‘Firebringer’ and ‘Crossroads’ – they don’t put a foot wrong.
Producer, Lars (Freedom Call) Rettkowitz has the obsessive’s eye for fine textural detail. He makes sure the arrangements don’t shift too far from the band’s lush, widescreen style of Symphonic Metal, mainlining us into a world of romantic imagery with ‘Crystalline’, and the escalating operatic rush of ‘Heroine Of The Sea’.
The advance guard – three trailer tracks – released progressively over the last 3 months, were exciting blasts of tuneful symphonic metal that had already marked out the band as a talent to watch.
The first, ‘Drag Me To Hell’ skilfully parades two intertwining melodies in among the breathless, hi speed bpms. It’s the album’s poster boy, able and agile, neatly bypassing the generic stuff that passes for Symphonic Metal nowadays.
‘Of War And Flames’ the track, cranks into sonic overdrive quickly, cresting an intro of powerful choral work and classy piano/strings interplay, rising to a dark and brooding chorus. It’s the kind of impassioned stuff that demands a big canvas, and it gets one.
Sometimes in this genre, when what you expect are sharp edges, overblown arrangements and martial beats, what you get is tastefully tailored symphonic metal arrangements and a singer who knows how to modulate.
That’s clearly the case with ‘Sirens Call’ and ‘Shadowsong’. Both are sympathetically orchestrated love songs, classy and classic. Each with imaginative arrangements and lilting, swiftly moving melodies, revealing a vulnerabity in Rosellini’s vocals that spin a melancholy lyric into something substantial and believable. ****
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 7 April 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review : ALTERIUM – Of War And Flames"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
